FRANCEEEE!! We arrived in France after our lengthy overnight bus at the Strasbourg Central Train Station. After leaving our luggage in the lockers at the station, we walked around Strasbourg, disappointed but not surprised that nothing was open (even breakfast cafes) in the morning. After a short coffee and tea break at a hotel restaurant, we walked around and arrived at the main attraction of Strasbourg – the Cathedral of Our Lady. 

This cathedral was the most obviously Gothic cathedral we’d seen, with huge looming towers, intricate details all over the doors and walls, a dark interior, and high ceilings. The cathedral never got completed and is missing a tower. The interior of the darkly lit cathedral was almost spooky and brought a new meaning to “God fearing”.

We got the opportunity to walk up 500 steps and see the city and top of the church from the tower. The top used to be a watch tower for guards to quickly identify fires. Many homes at the time were constructed using timber beams as support. With the proximity of all the homes, fires were frequent and dangerous because they spread so quickly.  The cathedral is also home to the first astronomical clock with full automations at noon. The automations are allegedly the first recorded of it’s kind. 

We walked into a farmers market and got a delicious lunch of a full rotisserie chicken and African small foods. The vendors were giggling at us as we grabbed a bunch of napkins and walked to a bench nearby and started eating. 

After lunch, we made our way back to the train station to get to our next destination, Colmar and the Alsace region.

Luxembourg and Trier, Germany

After one final overnight bus to Luxembourg, we took the bus to our hotel, in the sex club neighborhood of Luxburmourg! Although conveniently located a block from the central train station, it was also conveniently located to no less than four strip clubs and sex shops. 

The public transportation in Luxembourg was the most impressive – completely free, runs late hours on weekends so people can return after their nights out, clean, organized, timely, and plentiful. Unfortunately, America is several decades away from a development like this. 

The city of Luxembourg is unique in the fact that it has two levels – the upper and lower levels. The upper is the old town, where the Palace, town squares, and old quarters are. The lower level is more commercial, resting along the river.